“I swear to God, this is the first time this has happened.”
I nod slowly as I open the box with Tony’s favorite kind of cake.
“We just went out for drinks and decided to come back here, then one thing led to another and...” He swallows audibly, glancing back at his partner that clearly goes beyond practicing law. “Things just got out of hand.”
He’s lying.
Not just about what’s happening right now, but I can tell by the way his hands are shaking that this definitely wasn’t the result of too much liquor, just like I know this isn’t the first time he’s been with one, if not both of them.
For a criminal defense lawyer, Tony is a terrible liar.
“Theo, cupcake, you know I love you—“
I hold up one finger, wag it back and forth then drag it through the cream cheese frosting, right down the center of the heart underneathHappy Birthday, Hot Pants.
Tony stops, clasps his hands together in front of his deflated—and tiny—dick, then waits for me to say something.
Instead, I lick the frosting from my finger, hold out the cake and force a sickeningly sweet smile. “Happy Birthday, Tony.”
He frowns in confusion. “Theo—“
“This is for you. I’ll leave your gift on the coffee table along with my key.”
Tony frowns so hard his bushy eyebrows almost touch his nose, but he takes the cake. “Theo, cupcake, shouldn’t we talk about this? I can—“
“Do they make you happy, Tony?”
His head jerks back as if I’d slapped him. “Wh-what?”
I nod toward Damon and Marion, the latter now peeking over the countertop. “Dotheymake youhappy?”
“I... I... I don’t understand. Theo, just give me a minute and I’ll get rid of them so we can talk, so I can explain. I don’t want to lose you.”
Ha. Ok.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Tony. You cheated, whether it was tonight only or not, and it’s obviously because I don’t make you happy anymore.” I hold my head high, push my glasses up my nose and pray I don’t start crying until I’m back in my car. “The truth is, we haven’t made each other happy for a long time and tonight is just another example to prove it.”
“Theo, cupcake, what are you saying?”
Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I smile. “We’re over, Tony. We’ve been over for a long time because we haven’t been happy in years. If they make you happy then you should accept that so you can live your life the way you want without having to worry about me anymore.”
“Theo...” His eyes plead with mine, and for a split second I can almost believe he doesn’t want to lose me, that he genuinely meant that, but the damage has been done.
“I’ll FedEx your things from my apartment, but you can just throw away my stuff that’s here.” One more painful smile. “I hope you enjoy your birthday, thirty is pretty special and I hope it is for you.”
Then I turn around and head back into the living room.
“Theo, wait.” Tony skids to a stop just beyond the couch, cake still in hand. “Can we talk about this, please?”
I shake my head, rummage through my duffel bag and pull out his gift—a turn of the century law book from Philadelphia, his hometown. “I don’t want to talk about it, Tony, I want to forget about it. I want to forget I walked in to find you with two other people that I thought were my friends. I just want to forget this night so I can try to reconcile the man I wasted six years of my life on with the man who threw it all away before I realized what he was doing. I want to forget everything so I can move on and attempt to salvage what’s left of my life and try to start over without you.”
“Theo, please. Don’t do this. Stay and talk to me. We can work it out; I can change.”
A sad smile pulls at my lips. “You’ve already changed, Tony, and I don’t think I like this version of you very much.” I zip my bag, throw it over my shoulder then work his key off my ring. “I really do wish you the best, and I hope you find happiness in everything you do. And I genuinely hope you have a good birthday, but we’re over and I’d appreciate it if you don’t try to contact me again.”
“Theo—“
I hold up a hand then set his key on top of his gift. “You know I don’t like goodbyes, but this isn’tsee you later. This is good bye, Tony. Good bye for good.”
